September 14, 2009

By Linda McCandless

“Cornell University joins the world community in mourning the passing of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug,” said President David J. Skorton.

Borlaug, 95, who led a tireless crusade to feed the world’s hungry, died in Dallas, TX, on September 12. Considered the father of the Green Revolution, Borlaug’s development of high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat prevented famine in developing countries. He is credited with saving the lives of as many as 1 billion people, and making it possible for countries like India and Pakistan to become self-sufficient in food production.

“Dr. Borlaug’s humanity and humility throughout his 75-year-career as a plant scientist is an example for us all,” said Skorton. “His was an extraordinary life.”

Among his many accolades, Dr. Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. From 1982 until 1988 he served as Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell.

Most recently, as chairman of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), Dr. Borlaug mobilized the international wheat community to meet the challenge of a fungal disease called Ug99, a stem rust that is threatening the world’s wheat supply.

The BGRI includes the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat (DRRW) Project, a 17-nation coalition funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the goal of which is to mitigate the threat of stem rust by replacing susceptible varieties of wheat with durably resistant ones. The international research and development coalition is responsible for disease surveillance and wheat improvement, and is under the direction of Ronnie Coffman, director of international programs, and professor of plant breeding and genetics.

“Borlaug’s constant admonition to his fellow plant breeders was, ‘Rust never sleeps,’” said Coffman, who studied with Borlaug in Mexico during the 1970s. “Cornell will honor Dr. Borlaug’s memory by helping his many followers around the world sustain the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.”

Cornell President Skorton also pledged Cornell’s best efforts in sustaining the initiative to defeat wheat stem rust. “Borlaug believed the essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind,” said Skorton. “Now it is up to us to see that Borlaug’s vision never sleeps.”

For more information about Dr. Borlaug, see http://borlaug.tamu.edu/memorial.html.

For more information about the DRRW and the BGRI, see www.wheatrust.cornell.edu and www.globalrust.org.

Or visit CALS News' March 2009 web exclusive on wheat rust and Dr. Borlaug.